Dustin Poirier Wants Last Portion of UFC Career ‘To Really Mean Something’

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Dustin Poirier remains one of the top lightweight contenders in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He demonstrated that much at UFC on ESPN 12, when he bounced back from a loss in a title fight to surge past Dan Hooker for a five-round decision victory on June 27.

Though he wasn’t especially competitive in his third-round submission defeat at the hands of Khabib Nurmagomedov one bout prior at UFC 242, “The Diamond” nonetheless owns a resume that features victories over the likes of Max Holloway, Eddie Alvarez, Justin Gaethje, Anthony Pettis and Jim Miller, to name a few. In the aftermath of his victory last month, Poirier suggested that he wouldn’t rush back into his next Octagon appearance.

“Now that I’m a victor again, I want to get back to the drawing board. I want to keep getting better. I want to stay in love with this sport,” he said then. “I don’t want to push myself so much to where I hate this. I’ve been doing this a long time and pushing myself to the limits every day. So I just want to do it right.”

Now 31 years old, Poirier is well aware that he has limited time left to compete at the sport’s highest level. If Gaethje defeats Nurmagomedov in a lightweight title unification bout, Poirier could rocket back to the top of the contender’s list. Regardless, the American Top Team representative wants to make every fight count as his career draws to a close.

“I don’t know [who’s next]. I’m not sure what the options will be when the UFC comes back and starts sitting at the table to make these matches,” Poirier said recently on ”The Jim Rome Show.” “It just needs to be a really big name or a title fight. I’ve been doing this for 10 years in the UFC, and I still love fighting, but I want these fights to mean more than just a fight. I don’t want it to just be about a show and win purse. I want it to really mean something, and I know I’m in the back nine of my career.

“I’ve been fighting for a while, I have 40 fights, and I want these last four or five years to really mean something every time I get into the Octagon. Not only for me and my family, but for the goals that I’m trying to bring awareness to and raise money for and for my career. I really want to leave a legacy.”